Abstract

Membranes modeling the lipid fraction of the mucous membrane of the human oral cavity have been studied by X-ray synchrotron diffraction. Ternary systems, composed of a mixture of sphingomyelin, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, and dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine with component weight ratios of 1: 2: 2 and 1: 2: 1, have lamellar structures in the gel phase at the physiological temperature (37°C). An inverted hexagonal phase is formed in the system with 40% dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine in the temperature range of 60–70°C. This phase coexists with the liquid-crystalline lamellar phase in a narrow temperature range and completely surpresses the lamellar phase with an increase in temperature to 80°C. Multi-component oral stratum corneum membranes are characterized by several lamellar phases at 20–37°C and the coexistence of one or several lamellar phases with inverted hexagonal phase at 80–90°C.